Passport must for Indian pilgrims to Kartarpur: ISPR chief

Sikh Pilgrimage to Pakistan

Islamabad, Nov 7 (UITV/IANS) - Indian Sikh pilgrims would require a passport to visit the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan's Punjab province via the Kartarpur Corridor which will be inaugurated on Saturday ahead of the 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, ISPR chief Major General Asif Ghafoor said here.

"As we have a security link, the entry would be a legal one under a permit on a passport-based identity. There will be no compromise on security or sovereignty," Dawn news quoted Ghafoor, the Director General of Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) - the media wing of the military, as saying on Wednesday.

Kartarpur Corridor provides a visa-free access to Indian Sikhs to the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara, originally known as Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, a highly revered Sikh shrine where Guru Nanak Dev spent 18 years of his life and is his final resting place.

The corridor has been established to commemorate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak falling on November 12.

Prime Minister Imran Khan had on November 1, while announcing the completion of Kartarpur Corridor on Twitter, announced waiving conditions of carrying a passport for identification and prior registration for the visitors.

The Pakistan government also exempted the Indian pilgrims from paying a $20 entry fee on the day of inauguration of the corridor and Guru Nanak Dev's birthday.